MSI Configurator

In Remote Utilities the MSI Configurator is a built-in tool that helps you bulid a custom Host or Agent installer/executable for subsequent deployment across your network or clientele.

Three package types can be built with MSI Configurator:

Standard MSI Host package

One-click Host package

Agent package

Custom server security

Custom server security is one of three authorization methods available in Remote Utilities. With this method enabled, you can access your remote Hosts once you have signed in on the Server in the Viewer app.

This method requires that you use your self-hosted server as an authorization center/hub.

Windows Security

Windows (also "WinNT") Security is one of the three authorization methods available in Remote Utilities. When using this method you can authorize on remote Hosts using Windows or Active Directory account credentials.

Direct connection

With Remote Utilities you can directly access a remote Host. Unlike Internet ID connections, no relay servers are used to broker a direct connection. By definition, this is the fastest connection type available in Remote Utilities.

Generally, to establish a direct connection you must use the remote computer's IP address or DNS/hostname:

You can establish a direct connection over a private network (LAN or VPN) and over the Internet. Usually, when connecting over a private network, no network configurations are required on the Host side. If you connect over the Internet, you may need to set up your router properly, namely create a port forwarding rule. See more information in our documentation.

Notification panel

The notification panel is a small window shown on the remote side during a remote session:

By default, the notification panel is disabled in Host and enabled in Agent.

Address book

An address book is a collection of records also called connections with each connection representing a remote PC. Connections have properties that define specific characteristics of a remote session, such as the destination address, access password, color depth and so on. Connections can be grouped into folders.

By default, address books are backed up daily. You can also enable local address book encryption in which case you'll need to enter your password each time you open the Viewer.

Added Improved "Internet-ID" tab in the MSI Configurator. All Internet-ID settings are now in one place.

Added Improved "Settings update" tab in the MSI Configurator.

Added When using the "Add using code" feature the remote computer name is automatically used as the connection name.

Added The encrypted code sent via email now also contains a custom Internet-ID server address, if used.

Added The "Add new connection" button in the contents pane of the address book can now be hidden in Viewer options.

Added An automatically generated password created when using the MSI Configurator is now longer and more secure.

Fixed A bug that allowed elevation of remote user's rights when opening Internet Explorer from the notification window has been fixed.

Fixed Minor fixes and improvements.

March, 28 2017

Remote Utilities 6.6.0.3

Fixed Minor fixes and improvements.

March, 27 2017

Remote Utilities 6.6.0.2

Added Instant search across all address books open in Viewer.

Added Address book navigation bar similar to the address bar in Windows Explorer — the navigation bar lets you quickly navigate back along the current path.

Added A special "All connections" item in the Viewer address book tree that displays all connections across all address books.

Added Permissions in RU-Server address book can now be selectively applied to either the object and its subobjects, object only or subobjects only. This allows for better planning and organization when setting permissions in a multi-user environment.

Added European Portuguese interface language.

Improved Host installation notifications now do not require remote user to click on the Accept button — instead an informational message is displayed after Host installation.

Improved Internet-ID is now 12-digit (e.g. 123-456-789-012) instead of 9-digit (e.g. 123-456-789). This is to eliminate possible duplication issues and improve overall stability.

Fixed An issue with connections showing OFFLINE status even though they were online has been fixed.

Fixed Internet-ID can now be randomly generated on a given Host — the "fixed ID" change that was introduced in version 6.5 has now been rolled back.

Fixed Minor fixes and improvements.

December, 12 2016

Remote Utilities 6.5.0.8

Fixed A bug that caused online status notifications still show in the system tray despite the corresponding check box being unchecked in Viewer options

Fixed Minor fixes and improvements

December, 10 2016

Remote Utilities 6.5.0.7

Fixed A bug that would cause creating duplicate Internet-IDs on cloned machines

Fixed Minor fixes and improvements

December, 6 2016

Remote Utilities 6.5.0.5

AddedMultiple address books that can be synchronized through the RU Server.

AddedCentralized permissions management in the RU Server. Users and groups can be created, and each user or group assigned different permissions for accessing the address books, synchronized through the server.

AddedAdditional authorization method to the Host – “Custom server security”. With this authorization method the RU server acts as a “domain controller” for the Host. You can use accounts created on the RU server to authorize on the Host.

FixedViewer now remembers its windows position when they are minimized and then restored

FixedMinor fixes and improvements

May, 8 2015

Remote Utilities 6.3.0.1

AddedUpdated Viewer interface

AddedCustom field for the “Send ID via e-mail” option

Added“Ask user to identify themselves” configuration option now works for all package types (standard, one-click and agent)

Added“Restart Host” item in the Host menu

AddedAbility to generate ID on the remote Host without sending an e-mail

AddedAn option to hide Active Directory tree in the Viewer

FixedMinor issues with the One-click configuration option

FixedInternet ID being incorrectly added to the “Direct connection” field in connection properties

March, 26 2015

Remote Utilities 6.2.0.1

AddedA toolbar button for minimizing the Full Control window when in fullscreen mode.

AddedRU Server administration console has been added to the Viewer as a built-in tool.

ImprovedThe checkboxes on the Modes tab in Host security settings were inverted. Now if a checkbox is checked, it means that the corresponding mode is allowed.

FixedSync issues between Viewer 6.0.x.x. and Viewer 6.1.x.x that caused the address book to disappear. Now if the sync server has a newer version of the address book than the Viewer version, the sync will not work until the Viewer is updated.

AddedProtection against address book sync conflicts. Now if a certain Viewer is offline it cannot change/update records in a synced address book.

FixedIssues with the Agent not properly working with UAC in some cases

FixedProblem with empty pages when printing some files using the remote printing feature

FixedProblem with RDP settings not saving properly

FixedThe USERNAME field in email messages sent by a custom MSI installer now correctly reflects the current user logged into the PC

FixedMinor fixes and improvements

February, 12 2014

Remote Utilities 5.6.0.6

FixedMinor fixes and improvements.

January, 22 2014

Remote Utilities 5.6.0.5

AddedFree license for business use for 10 remote PCs.

January, 14 2014

Remote Utilities 5.6.0.2

AddedMobile Viewer for iOS and Android.

AddedWhen launched by a user with administrative privileges, the Agent module runs as a service thus making it possible to handle UAC prompts remotely. This was previously available with the Host only.

AddedDesktop Viewer now launches the native RDP client when the RDP connection mode is used.

AddedThe notification panel can now be moved/dragged around the screen.

AddedRemote Host version and currently logged in user name are displayed in the address book “Detailed” view in Viewer.

FixedA bug with cascade authorization when using "Connect through Host" feature.

FixedA bug that caused the GMS server IP/DNS address to be erased during remote Host upgrade.

FixedA bug in the File Transfer mode when connecting to older versions of Host.

FixedMinor fixes and improvements.

June, 30 2013

Remote Utilities 5.5.2.0

FixedAn error message that appeared when closing the Viewer

FixedFixes in the File Transfer mode and other connection modes

FixedMinor fixes and improvements

June, 24 2013

Remote Utilities 5.5

AddedAuto reconnect during temporary network breakdowns

AddedNew MSI configurator in the wizard form. New step added to the MSI configurator wizard that allows you to control which settings are applied during the remote Host update.

AddedA panel/window at the bottom-right corner on the Host side with the list of currently connected Viewers. The remote user can close some or all of the connections. This panel is optional and can be enabled/disabled in the Host settings.

AddedNew "Full screen" view mode. When this mode is on, the window frame is removed but no scaling occurs. If the remote monitor resolution is higher than the local monitor resolution, scrolling is enabled. What was previously "Full screen" mode has been renamed "Full Screen Stretch".

AddedAn option to erase/wipe Host settings from the remote PC when uninstalling.

AddedLicense Key Storage now shows the number of unused licenses left for each product key.

AddedView mode toggle icons have been added to the toolbar.

AddedWindows serial key is now displayed in the Inventory Manager report.

AddedDragging the tab away from the Full Control and View window will pop out the tab into its own window (behavior similar to that of the web browser Google Chrome).

AddedFrench interface language. Parlez-vous français?

ImprovedProgram operation on Windows 8 has been optimized to improve performance.

ImprovedError log now shows not only the error number but also additional information/explanation about the error.

Improved"Capture sound" option is now included in the Connection Properties so you can enable it permanently for a selected address book entry.

FixedA bug that caused the Full Control and View window to change its position and dimensions every time the user switched to another remote screen tab. Now if a user maximizes the Full Control and View window it will stay maximized regardless of the new tabs open.

FixedA bug that caused an RDP over ID connection to close when minimizing the RDP window.

AddedAdded Active Directory tree browser. Now the RUT-Viewer address book window shows the actual Active Directory tree, and you can connect to any computer right away. You can use the default domain controller for the network where the RUT-Viewer machine is located, or you can specify a different domain controller using a special dialog window.

AddedAdded different users with different permissions for a single RUT-Host. This feature is available for both the security system of Remote Utilities and WinNT security.

AddedAdded an "Ask user permission" option in RUT-Host settings. If this option is set, a message is displayed to the remote user, allowing them to accept or decline a remote connection.

AddedAdded the ability to launch and work when the remote computer is in Windows Safe Mode. The remote PC is available for remote connection after a reboot in Safe Mode.

AddedImproved RUT-Viewer and RUT-Host installer. Now you do not need to uninstall the program manually before updating. Simply run the new version installer file and follow the installation wizard instructions to update the program.

AddedAdded Windows PE support.

ImprovedImproved the Password setting window that appears after the RUT-Host installation has been simplified.

FixedRemoved the outdated video overlay connection mode.

FixedRemoved the HookDrv.dll library, which caused antivirus software to create a false alarm.

FixedMinor fixes and improvements.

January, 27 2012

Remote Utilities 5.1.2

AddedAdded IPv6 support.

FixedMinor fixes.

January, 15 2012

Remote Utilities 5.1.1

ImprovedInternet ID technology has been optimized for fast Internet connections. For improvements to be seen update both the Viewer and the Host, as well as the GMS (if the latter is used).

ImprovedImproved mouse and keyboard response time.

ImprovedImproved proxy-server support.

ImprovedImproved MSI-Configurator: now the configurator works if RUT-Host is installed (but is not running) on the PC. This works for all configuration options except Quick Connect.

AddedAdded Address Book Manager to allow working with several address books in different places including network locations.

AddedAdded the ability to automatically send the Internet ID and Password to the helpdesk technician via e-mail once the configured QuickConnect module is first run on the remote side.

AddedAdded multiple tabs, Windows 7 like address bar and the ability to transfer files from one remote PC to another in the File Transfer connection mode.

AddedAdded the ability to generate meta-keys for registering RUT-Hosts. This protects the owner of the license from an unauthorized use of their license key. This is especially useful for Helpdesk license owners.

AddedAdded the ability to edit the properties of multiple connections at once.

AddedAdded the ability to show a small blue globe beside the RUT-Host icon when the connection with an Internet ID server is live.

AddedAdded automatic clipboard sync (so far for plain text only).

AddedAdded new error message system with message log and smart non-intrusive error notifications.

AddedAdded support for HTTP and SOCKS proxy servers both on the RUT-Host and RUT-Viewer side.

AddedNow all installer and executable files are digitally signed with the certificate issued by DigiCert Inc.

ImprovedImproved and extended Power Control mode (former "Shutdown" mode).

ImprovedImproved and extended Execute mode.

ImprovedMinor improvements to the Callback Connection feature.

FixedFixed the occasional bugs when the Connect through Host feature was used.

FixedFixed bugs with the Internet ID, File Manager and multi-monitor features not working properly in some cases.

FixedFixed several bugs in the Screen Recorder connection mode.

FixedFixed memory leakage which occurred on the RUT-Host side in some cases.

FixedSome changes to the user interface.

FixedMultiple improvements and fixes.

May, 17 2011

Remote Utilities 5.0.1

AddedAdded a new licensing option - Home License

March, 8 2011

Remote Utilities 5.0

AddedInternet-ID allows connecting over the Internet to a PC which is located behind a firewall or a NAT device. No network configuration on the remote PC side is necessary.

Added a new "Helpdesk" licensing option.

Added the ability to select a terminal session out of several terminal sessions being active on the remote PC.

AddedRUT-Viewer now works on Wine in Linux OS.

Added the ability to run RUT-Host as current user.

AddedModified RUT-Host settings — now there are user settings and system settings.

Added invitation system. An administrator or a helpdesk specialist generates a special invitation code that contains an Internet ID, a password and a license key. The code is then applied by the user on the remote PC.

Added one-click installer as a single EXE-file which automatically installs the configured RUT without any queries.

Added RUT-Viewer ping capability that allows to almost instantly determine which computer is on the network.

Added Help to RUT-Host (previously Help was available in RUT-Viewer only).

Added the ability to view the callback connection query list in RUT-Viewer.

Added the ability to activate all callback connections in one click on RUT-Host.

Added a new tab called "Users" in the Task Manger connection mode window.

Added tree view of connection properties for the Connect through Host feature.

Improved the speed of browsing the remote registry.

Improved integration of the RUT-Host with the Windows 7/Vista/2008 built-in Firewall.

Fixed issues with NTLM authorization with Windows 7/Vista/2008.

Fixed issues causing instability of RUT-Host when using the Connect through Host feature.